


Cracks in the Ice

by UnluckyLeek



Series: Vergil / Lady One Shots [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mild Blood, Minor Injuries, Snow, Snowball Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyLeek/pseuds/UnluckyLeek
Summary: Dante and Vergil are back from the underworld and Nero is desperate to finally meet his father. The blue devil has other plans however, and when he goes missing on Christmas Eve, it's up to Lady to try and find him...Secret Santa for @leviathan-dee on Tumblr - Hope you like it!
Relationships: Lady & Vergil (Devil May Cry), Lady/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Series: Vergil / Lady One Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082354
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	Cracks in the Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LeviathanDee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeviathanDee/gifts).



> Merry Christmas everyone!
> 
> I really hope you like this leviathan-dee! It ended up being a lot longer than I'd planned and not that Christmassy in the end XD  
> But um, enjoy!

"It's starting to snow," Lady said absently, staring through a small circle she had made in the steam on one of the windows at Devil May Cry. It was getting dark outside, and the small white flakes were being illuminated by a nearby streetlight.

"You could try sounding a little more excited about it," Trish called out behind her.

"I'm sorry," Lady sighed, turning to face her friend. "It’s just… Well, I was hoping they would be back by Christmas is all."

"There's still time," Trish pointed out. "A lot can happen in a few weeks." She held a pile of tinsel out towards Lady. "Now come on, help me finish decorating."

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Lady said, grabbing the sparkly bundle a little too forcefully.

"Same reason we've been doing this for all the holidays so far," Trish replied, lifting a box of tree decorations onto Dante's desk. "To help them know what season it is when they get back."

"It's only the first of December!" Lady protested. "Besides, isn’t Dante going to be pissed that we messed up his office?"

“Probably,” Trish said. "But it can't be any worse than coming back to a cold and empty one." 

"Hasn't bothered Dante before…" Lady mumbled as she walked over to a scraggly looking tree in the corner. She looked it up and down and tutted. "Is this really the best you could do?"

"It was the cheapest one they had," Trish said, nudging Lady in the ribs. "Dante's not around to foot the bill any more, remember?"

"Fine," Lady said, rolling her eyes. "But if he does come back before Christmas, he's getting us a better tree."

The pair started to decorate the branches in silence for a while before Trish finally spoke again, taking Lady by surprise. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

"About Dante coming back? Of course not," Lady said, avoiding eye contact and focussing a bit too intensely on positioning a bauble.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Trish said dryly.

"Are _you?_ " Lady retorted, glancing up at last. "You've spent more time with him than I have."

"Only barely!" Trish replied. "Besides, you've known him longer."

"I'd hardly call exchanging a few words 20 years ago 'knowing' someone," Lady huffed. "I can barely even remember what he looks like."

Trish hummed thoughtfully. "He looks like Dante, but a lot more pissed off," she said finally.

"So basically Nero?" Lady said, grinning. The two shared a brief moment of laughter before falling silent again. "Speaking of which…" Lady added hesitantly.

"Let's not worry about Nero for now," Trish said. "One concern at a time."

"I'm not _concerned_ ," Lady said, fiddling with a small piece of decorative holly. "I just... don't know how I'm supposed to act. I mean, he was responsible for the death of my father, not to mention the fact he imprisoned us both in those demons… It's gonna be _weird_ , you know? I feel like we should be preparing to kill him the second he steps through the door."

"I know what you mean," Trish said hesitantly. "But at the same time, everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think?"

"He's had enough chances," Lady spat. "Dante's been miserable because of that jerk ever since I've known him."

"You don't think people can change?" Trish asked, looking slightly hurt. Lady heard the pain in her friend's voice and backtracked instantly.

"Th-That's not what I'm saying!" Lady said, placing a comforting hand on Trish's shoulder. "But you're kind of a special case, you know?"

"Vergil and I are more similar than you might think," Trish said. She felt Lady's grip stiffen at the mention of the elder twin's name.

"I prefer you though," Lady said, winking at Trish before moving around to the opposite side of the tree.

"You flatter me," Trish replied, smiling to herself.

"Where do you think he's going to stay?" Lady asked, walking back over as she threaded some tinsel between the branches.

"Here, I guess?" Trish speculated, gesturing to the large foyer.

"You think he's gonna be okay with that?"

"He doesn't have much of a choice," Trish shrugged. "As far as society is concerned, he’s been dead for over two decades. Not exactly conducive to getting your own accommodation."

"Now that you mention it, it's going to be pretty hard for him to adjust, huh?" Lady said, suddenly feeling somewhat sorry for the man she only really knew as 'Dante's brother'.

"That's why I'm saying you should at least give him a chance," Trish said, reaching into the decoration box. "Angel or star?" she asked, holding up a pair of tree toppers. Lady looked between the two thoughtfully.

"Star," she said at last. "Something about having an angel watching over a shop called _Devil May Cry_ just doesn't feel right."

"Star it is," Trish said, chucking the angel back into the box. "You want to do the honours?"

"Let's do it together," Lady suggested with a smile.

"If you insist," Trish said, holding the sparkly golden star out towards Lady, who gripped one side of it. The pair placed the decoration on top of the tree then stepped back, admiring their handiwork.

"I guess it doesn't look so bad with all the decorations on it," Lady admitted.

"See, you just need to show some positivity," Trish said, patting Lady on the back. "Now help me finish the rest of the room."

"Those two better appreciate this," Lady said, taking another box of decorations that Trish offered her.

"Even if _they_ don't, it doesn't mean that _we_ can't enjoy it," Trish replied, taping a garland to the wall. The duo worked quickly, tossing each other random trinkets and various adhesives until eventually the foyer of Devil May Cry actually looked somewhat festive for once.

"Not bad!" Lady said, giving Trish a high five.

"Heck, even if they don't come back, I'm almost tempted to leave it up until they _do_ ," Trish said proudly. "It's even better than our Halloween attempt!"

"What now?" Lady asked. Her stomach let out a low growl, causing her to flush in embarrassment.

"I think your gut just told us the answer," Trish laughed. "Wanna order some pizza?"

"Sounds good to me," Lady agreed, giving a thumbs up.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

"D'you think we should prepare a room for him?" Lady asked through a mouthful of melted cheese.

"I thought you weren't worried about him?" Trish said, somewhat mockingly.

"I'm not thinking about doing it for _him_ ," Lady huffed. "I just thought it would make things easier for Dante."

"Uh huh…" Trish nodded and bit a chunk of garlic bread. "I guess it’s not a bad idea - I hadn't really thought about that kinda stuff."

"Right? We can use one of the spare rooms upstairs."

"Sounds good," Trish agreed. She finished off the bread she was eating and stood up, brushing off her knees. "Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

"Sure," Lady replied, licking her fingers clean. "I'll finish tidying up here."

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

A few days later, the room was finished. Despite initially planning on 'keeping it simple', Lady had been unable to resist picking up a few small items here and there, and by the time they were done, the room actually looked somewhat cosy.

"I'm almost tempted to just move in here myself," Lady said, arranging a small bookshelf in the corner.

"Not if I steal it first," Trish said, laying back on the soft sheets of the bed. "Guy's gonna sleep better than I do!" 

"Hey come on, I just made that," Lady grumbled.

"Dante's gonna be so jealous," Trish said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"You're the one that said we should leave his room alone," Lady said, sitting on the edge of the bed. It really was ridiculously soft - perhaps unnecessarily so given how little time they actually expected Vergil to spend sleeping in it.

"You know as well as I do that he doesn’t like us touching his personal stuff," Trish said, playfully tugging at Lady's shirt until she was lying down next to her. "Morrison's already gonna get in enough trouble for turning a blind eye to us using this place; the last thing he needs is us messing up Dante's bedroom too."

“Says the one who turned his office into a Christmas card!” Lady laughed. She turned to face Trish and sighed. "...What if Vergil doesn't come back with him?" she asked.

"Then Dante ends up with a free guest room," Trish replied. "And possibly a pair of new roommates," she added, laughing airily.

“I really hope they managed to work things out between them…” Lady said, closing her eyes. “It would suck if Dante came back all mopey again.”

“I have a good feeling about it,” Trish said. “If that V guy really _was_ Vergil…” She sighed. “Anyway, let’s not worry about it for now.” She sat up and stretched. “I’m afraid I’ve gotta head off. You okay to lock up here?”

“Sure…” Lady yawned, waving a hand dismissively. “I think I’ll just test out this bed a little longer first…”

“Let me know how that goes,” Trish chuckled. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

The next week or so was fairly uneventful. Trish and Lady went out to a few jobs as usual, sometimes together and sometimes alone, and they each took turns to check on the shop whenever they had some spare time. It was during one of these checks - in which Lady was tidying up the usual junk mail that always seemed to get delivered despite their attempts at diverting it - that she heard the sound of two pairs of heavy boots approaching Devil May Cry.

A familiar voice echoed throughout the foyer as the doors slowly creaked open. "Well, this is it, home sweet - Lady!"

"Dante!" Lady cried out, running over and wrapping her arms around her friend in a rare display of affection between the two. "I knew you'd be back before…" Her words trailed off as she glanced over Dante’s shoulder and locked eyes with Vergil, who was standing awkwardly by the entrance. She released Dante and stepped back slowly, not daring to break eye contact with the blue devil.

"You uh, remember my brother, right?" Dante asked nervously. "Lady, this is Vergil. Vergil, this is-"

"Mary," a cool voice said before Dante could finish. Lady felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of her old name.

"Vergil, we talked about this remember? She goes by Lady now," Dante said exasperatedly. "Sorry about this Lady, he's bad with names…" Lady said nothing in response and continued to stare into Vergil's piercing gaze, waiting for him to make a move.

"You look well," Vergil said at last, finally breaking eye contact to look her up and down before glancing around the room. The feeling of fear that had kept Lady rooted to the spot disappeared, and she felt a slight tremor in her legs as the adrenaline started to wear off.

"...T-Thank you," Lady said cautiously. "I'd say the same, but you guys look like you've been to hell and back!" Her grin quickly disappeared when Vergil glared at her again, his hand resting lightly on the Yamato.

"Haha, good one…" Dante said, stepping between the pair and patting Lady on the shoulder. "We must look like crap, huh? Sorry I'm not quite the red clad, white-haired guy you'd normally expect to see around Christmas. Nothing a quick shower can't fix though!"

"I'm glad you're back," Lady said, tearing her eyes away from Vergil. "I was starting to get worried."

"Well, I couldn't miss Christmas with my family now, could I?" Dante grinned. "And yes, that includes you and Trish." Dante looked around. "Speaking of…"

"She's not here," Lady said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vergil let out what looked like a sigh of relief. "I can call her though-"

"That won't be necessary," Vergil stated, finally taking a few steps into the shop. Despite his cold demeanour, it was clear that he was nervous, and Lady found herself relaxing a little. Perhaps Dante had finally managed to whip him into shape...

"Vergil's right," Dante agreed. "Probably best we get ourselves cleaned up before meeting anyone else. Truth be told, I was expecting the place to be empty when we got back." He looked around at the decorations that adorned almost every corner of the shop and grimaced slightly. "I uh, love what you did with it though…"

"Blame Trish," Lady shrugged. "I told her you weren't really the decorating type."

"Nah, I like it… It feels welcoming, right Vergil?" Dante asked over his shoulder.

"It reminds me of when we were children," Vergil mumbled in response.

"I'll take it," Lady said, finally daring to look at Vergil again. He didn't look to be in a good way - neither of them did. "I'd best be getting out of your hair," she added, heading for the front doors.

"Let's catch up real soon though, okay?" Dante called after her. Vergil stepped to the side to allow Lady to pass. She glanced at him again as she did so, then paused as she remembered something. 

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot!" She turned back towards the shop and pointed at the staircase. "We made up a room for _him_." She nodded in Vergil's direction. "I'm not really sure what your plan is, but feel free to let him use it as you see fit."

"Hey, that's really great of you guys!" Dante grinned. "I was just planning to give him my room for a while and sleep on the sofa, but this makes things a whole lot easier, thanks!"

"Well, it seemed a waste not to use one of those spare rooms for _something_ ," Lady said, blushing slightly at the praise. She turned to look at Vergil again. "I hope you like it, but don't complain to me if you don't."

"...Thank you," Vergil said quietly before looking away. Now that she could see him more closely, she couldn’t help but notice a strange sadness to his expression.

"You're welcome, I guess," Lady replied, deciding not to think too deeply on the matter. "Gimme a call when you want to meet up," she said to Dante.

"Roger that," Dante said, giving her a mini salute. With a small wave, Lady turned towards the doors again and left, letting them slam shut behind her.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Dante and Vergil had returned just ten days before Christmas, and everyone of course wanted to catch up with them as soon as possible - especially Nero. Lady had been present for most of these visits and was both relieved and concerned to note that Vergil was absent from all of them. On the few occasions she had seen him - mostly when turning up at Devil May Cry unannounced - he had immediately stopped whatever he was doing and retreated upstairs, offering her barely more than a small nod.

“I can’t believe he won’t even make the effort to see his own kid,” Nico grumbled one evening as they were all hanging out in her van (minus Vergil, as usual). “He’s all Nero ever talks about lately and he can’t even be bothered to-”

“It’s not like that,” Dante said sternly. “He’s just… nervous.”

“Whatever,” Nero mumbled from one of the sofas. “I’ve survived over twenty years without him, what’s a few more?”

“It ain’t right,” Nico said. “‘Specially so close to Christmas an’ all...”

“There’s still time,” Dante said. “He knows he’s invited to dinner with everyone, I’m planning on convincing him to come over the next couple of days.”

“Maybe it’s best if he just doesn’t,” Nero said. “I dunno how much I’d trust him around Kyrie and the boys anyway.”

Trish, who had been sitting at a table in the corner with Lady, cleared her throat and stood up. “It’s not like _you’ve_ made much effort to get to know him,” she said sternly, walking over to Nero. “There’s nothing stopping you from heading over to Devil May Cry by yourself and spending some time alone together.”

“Like he’d ever agree to that,” Nero retorted. “Even Dante’s barely seen him since they got back.”

“ _Enough_ ,” Dante piped up. He looked between the pair. “Nero and his old man have got the rest of their lives to spend time together. Vergil just needs some time to adjust - try to see things from his perspective okay?”

“I don’t care what he does,” Nero said angrily, getting to his feet. “I’m gonna get some more drinks, anyone want anything?”

“I think I’m going to head off for now,” Trish said, following Nero towards the door of the van. “It’s getting a bit too crowded in here anyway.”

Lady, who had been watching events unfold with an increasing sense of unease, stood up and joined her friend. “Me too,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” Nero sighed. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward… This is just a really weird situation for me, you know? My father - my actual, _biological_ father - is alive and living just over an hour from me, and I haven’t even seen him _once_ since he got back…”

“I know it’s tough, but Dante’s right - he just needs time,” Trish said. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I just… kind of know how he feels, you know?”

“Didn’t he trap y'all inside some demons or somethin’?” Nico asked. “If it was me I’d wanna kill the bastard, not invite him to tea.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Trish said sharply.

“I’m glad _someone_ gets it,” Dante said. He looked over at Nero. “I’ll talk to him, okay? Don’t worry. Now I don’t mind sticking around a bit longer, but let's discuss something else for a while, all right?”

“Sure,” Nero nodded. “You sure I can’t tempt you guys into staying a while longer?” he asked Lady and Trish.

“I would, but I have a job to attend to early in the morning - I’d like to get some research in,” Trish replied.

“I’ve got some stuff to do too,” Lady said, noncommittally.

“Suit yourselves…” Nero said, stepping to the side to let them pass. “You’re coming to the dinner though right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lady smiled as she stepped outside.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

“I actually do have a job to look into,” Trish said as the girls made their way over to their motorbikes. “What’s your excuse?”

“I just didn’t feel like staying in there with all the tension in the air,” Lady sighed. “I know Dante said they wouldn’t talk about it any more, but you can tell Nero is still really upset.”

“I can’t blame him,” Trish said, slipping on her helmet. “But we also-”

“Can’t blame Vergil, I know,” Lady grumbled. “I am surprised at how absent he’s been though.”

“There’s no way of knowing what’s going through his head,” Trish said. “We’ll just have to give him some time and see what happens.”

“Yeah,” Lady nodded. “I’m sure Dante knows what he’s doing, too.”

“Exactly.” Trish kicked her bike into gear. “Wanna head back together?”

Lady hesitated for a moment. “Do you think…”

“Hm?”

“...Do you think it might be worth _you_ trying to talk to Vergil?” Lady asked. “Since you seem to understand what he’s going through?”

“No,” Trish said quickly. “Not with the way I look.”

“I’m sure he’d understand,” Lady said. “It’s obvious you’re not his-”

“ _No,”_ Trish said firmly. Her mind flashed back briefly to a few days ago when she had turned up at the shop without warning. The look of despair on Vergil’s face was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and Dante had quickly ushered her outside. _Sorry, too soon…_ he had said. “Dante said he’ll deal with it, so let him,” Trish stated.

“...Fine,” Lady huffed. “But he’s gonna have to get used to seeing you eventually.”

“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Trish said. “Now are you coming or not?”

“I think I’m gonna drive around for a bit,” Lady replied. “I need to clear my head. Let me know if you need any help with that job tomorrow though, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Trish nodded, before speeding out of Nero's garage into the distance.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Although it had been Lady’s intention to just ride around the local area and then head home, she had somehow found herself outside Devil May Cry. She stopped her bike and stared up at the flickering neon letters, wondering what she was doing here. _Probably autopilot_ , she told herself. She _had_ been checking in on this place almost daily for the best part of six months or so, afterall. She hesitated briefly, trying to decide whether or not she should go inside. With Dante over at Nero’s place, she had pretty much no reason to go into the empty shop. Of course… it _wasn’t_ empty though, was it? Lady bit her lip nervously. After a minute or so, she dismounted her bike and walked slowly over to the doors.

Trish’s words flashed through her mind. _Dante said he’ll deal with it, so let him._

“But he hasn’t dealt with it, has he?” Lady mumbled to herself. It was already Christmas Eve tomorrow, and she couldn't bear the thought of Nero’s reaction when his father refused to show for the dinner he and Kyrie had been planning since Vergil and Dante’s return. Despite how good he was at hiding it, Dante had been struggling emotionally for years because of his brother’s actions, and now Nero was starting to head the same way. “I’ll be damned if I let you ruin _two_ people’s lives,” Lady growled. She took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. _Just a few stern words_ , she thought. _I’ll tell him what a jerk he’s being, then scram before he can do anything._

She marched into the shop with the Kalina Ann at the ready, just in case. She was surprised however, to find the shop in darkness. She was just about to consider ascending the staircase when a smooth sounding voice spoke up from the shadows behind her.

“What are you doing here?” it asked bluntly.

Lady spun around quickly, aiming her weapon at the corner of the room where the sound had come from. She squinted as her eyes adjusted, until she could just about make out the outline of Vergil sitting on the floor by the large window to the right of the doors. “ _Don’t move!_ ” Lady yelled, trying to mask the panic in her voice. There was a muffled rustling sound as Vergil’s shadowy figure appeared to get to its feet. Lady kept the Kalina Ann trained on him the whole time, her fingers milimetres from the trigger.

“Calm yourself, foolish woman,” Vergil growled. “I have no intention of interrupting your business here.”

“What are you doing over there?” Lady demanded. “Sitting in the dark too - waiting to ambush someone?”

“I am afraid it is nothing quite that exciting,” Vergil said exasperatedly.

“What then?” Lady asked. Vergil raised his arm slowly until Lady could see the outline of a book against the illuminated window. “ _Answer me properly!”_ she shouted, stepping closer.

“...The electricity ran out,” Vergil mumbled.

“Huh?”

Vergil sighed in what sounded like embarrassment. “...The electricity ran out and I did not know how to fix it, so I have been using the light from outside to read my book.” He lowered his arm again. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Liar, the sign outside is still on,” Lady said, lowering her weapon ever so slightly.

“I believe it uses a different circuit,” Vergil replied calmly. “I was trying to vacuum my room, but when I plugged it in, all of the lights inside went out.”

“Sounds like you blew a fuse…” Lady speculated. She shook her head. “Wait a minute, I’m not here to talk about stuff like this! Listen up-”

“Do you know how to fix it?” Vergil asked, walking past her and completely ignoring the rocket launcher aimed in his direction. “If not then I have no further business with you. Good evening.”

“Oh no you _don’t_ ,” Lady said angrily, firing a round towards him. Vergil quickly caught the small missile mid-air before throwing it to the ground.

“ _Idiot!_ ” he growled. “Do you wish to destroy the entire building?!”

“I figured you’d probably absorb most of the impact,” Lady said cockily, preparing to fire again. There was a brief flash of blue light, then she suddenly found a blade being held to her throat from behind. Her left arm had been yanked behind her back.

“Cease this foolishness immediately,” Vergil hissed into her ear.

“Let go of me!” Lady shouted, stamping on his foot. He didn’t even flinch.

“What are you doing here?” Vergil asked, bringing the Yamato closer to her flesh. “I will not ask again.”

Lady sighed in defeat and threw her weapon to the ground before raising her free hand. “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“I might consider it.”

“I came here looking for you,” she confessed. She felt his grip on her arm loosen slightly.

“Tell me the truth.”

“That _is_ the truth, you dumbass,” Lady replied. She stumbled as Vergil pushed her away from him. He quickly kicked the Kalina Ann out of reach before she could retrieve it.

“What business could you possibly have with me?” Vergil asked, sheathing the Yamato with a quiet click.

“I wanted to talk to you-”

“Why?”

“Will you let me finish?” Lady said irritatedly. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out how she was going to explain herself. “It’s about Nero,” she said at last. She could see Vergil’s shadow stiffen at the mention of his son’s name. “You should really go and see him.”

“...Is that all?” Vergil asked after a lengthy silence.

“What do you mean _is that all?_ ” Lady said angrily. “This is your _son_ we’re talking about here! Your own flesh and blood!”

“Such sentiments have no meaning to me,” Vergil said quietly. “I have been absent from that _boy’s_ life for his entire existence. I don’t see why I should try to intrude now.”

“It’s not intruding,” Lady explained. “He’s your family, and he’s desperate to get to know you - you’re all he has!”

“He has Dante,” Vergil said dismissively. “He’s more of a father to him than I’ll ever be.”

“Only because you haven’t been here,” Lady said. “You had no control over your absence, but you’re here now, and you have the chance to make things right again. Why would you ignore such an opportunity?”

“If he wants to see me that badly then why is it you standing before me and not him?” Vergil queried.

“He already tried coming here,” Lady said. “But you refused to come down from your room, remember?”

“I dislike dealing with large groups of people,” Vergil stated. “Would it be so hard for him to come alone?”

“Have you tried asking?” Lady retorted. 

“I have no methods of contacting him,” Vergil said.

“What about that sword of yours?” Lady asked. “It lets you teleport doesn’t it?”

“... I do not wish to discuss this matter any further,” Vergil said, pushing past her. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his arm. To her surprise, he stopped.

“It’s not just _groups_ of people though, is it?” Lady asked gently. “Every time I show up here, you run straight back to your room.” She let go and walked around him until she could look into what she hoped were his eyes. “What are you so afraid of?”

The doors to the shop burst open suddenly, bathing the pair in pink fluorescent light. Dante stood in the entrance, confusion contorting his expression as he tried to work out what he was looking at. “...Lady?” he asked at last.

“She was just leaving,” Vergil said, pushing Lady towards the door.

“Wait, I-” Lady began.

“I thought you went home?” Dante said, scratching the back of his head. “And why’s it so dark in here?”

“I came to pick something up,” Lady said, searching for the Kalina Ann with what little light she had before finally retrieving it and slinging it over her shoulder. “Oh and one of your fuses died,” she added, pushing past Dante.

“You sure everything’s okay?” Dante asked, looking between Lady and Vergil, who had started to retreat upstairs again.

“Just leave it,” Lady said, catching Vergil’s eye as he turned and looked over Dante’s shoulder at her before disappearing into the shadows.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

“We have a situation,” Dante’s panicked voice said down the phone to Lady the next day.

“What happened?” Lady asked, already preparing to load her weapons.

“It’s Vergil… He’s… Well, he’s _gone_.”

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Lady asked, placing the gun she was holding down on her coffee table. “Gone where?”

“ _Exactly_ ,” Dante said. “I can’t find him anywhere!”

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary…” Dante replied. “I mean, I had a talk with him about the whole Nero thing again, but I’ve been doing that all week.”

“Maybe he went to see Nero?” Lady suggested.

“I thought that could be it, but he hasn’t seen him either. Besides, he has no idea where Nero lives.”

“Okay, well maybe he just went for a walk to clear his head?” Lady said.

“I don’t think you understand how serious this is,” Dante said worriedly. “Vergil hasn’t left the shop since we got back - not once. I’m concerned about what might happen with him out there.”

“Vergil’s a grown man,” Lady said, starting to put her weapons away again. “I’m sure he can look after himself.”

“It’s not _his_ safety I’m worried about,” Dante said seriously. “You have to help me find him Lady, before he does something he regrets. Well… something _else_ I guess,” he added with a slight chuckle.

“Okay, okay,” Lady sighed. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“We had an argument this morning,” Dante explained. “Again, that’s normal for us. It must have been around 10am maybe? He stormed up to his room as usual and I didn’t think anything of it, but when I went to check on him around twenty minutes ago to see if he wanted any lunch, he was nowhere to be found.”

“Did you see him leave?”

“I’ve been sitting in the shop all day,” Dante said. “But it’s not exactly like that would stop him.”

“True…” Lady agreed. “Is there anywhere you can think of that he might go?”

“None whatsoever,” Dante said after a moment’s thought. “I’d be out there looking for him myself right now, but I wanted to stay here in case he comes back.”

“Is Nero out looking for him too?” Lady asked, dreading to imagine what the outcome might be if Nero came across his father.

"He's waiting at home in case Vergil does decide to turn up there for some reason," Dante said. "Oh, and Trish is out dealing with a job, so…"

"So basically you want me to do all the work," Lady said dryly.

"Hey now, not _all_ the work!" Dante protested. "Nico’s driving around too. I think…"

"You _think?_ "

"Well, I asked her to, but she just mumbled something about Vergil being a deadbeat something-or-other and hung up on me…"

Lady let out a sigh. "Okay fine, I'll help. What exactly do you expect me to do when I find him though?"

"Just give me a call, I'll deal with the rest," Dante said.

"You really think he's just gonna wait around for you to turn up?" Lady asked.

"Look, just pick a fight with him or something, okay? Guy can't turn down a challenge-"

"Are you insane?!" Lady cried. "I'm not about to start a fight with _Vergil_ , I'll be cut in half before I've even drawn my gun!"

"Okay fine…" Dante paused for a moment trying to think of a solution. "Alright. If you see him, try not to let him spot you and call me straight away. We'll figure something out from there."

"You realise this doesn't solve the issue of him just disappearing again, right?"

"Let's just focus on finding him to begin with," Dante said exasperatedly. "I'll let you know if I hear anything further okay?"

"Ugh, fine," Lady said, reluctantly starting to load her guns again. "You owe me for this though."

"I appreciate your help with this, really," Dante said. "Call me if you get into any trouble."

"Whatever," Lady said, ending the call.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Lady didn't have even the slightest idea of where to begin looking. A quick call to Nico confirmed that she was indeed checking the areas around Nero's place, so that could be ruled out at least. She rode around the streets near her house first before deciding to check closer to the Devil May Cry shop. When all searches turned up negative, she finally decided to head towards the centre of Red Grave on the off chance that Vergil had been drawn to the demonic energy that still lingered in the area. It had started to snow again as she rode around, a fact that much to her surprise, finally led her to the blue devil.

It didn't take long for Lady to notice the stench of blood as she approached the city. As she slowed down, she spotted the dissolving carcasses of demons strewn throughout the streets, each one cut cleanly in half. She followed the trail of carnage until it eventually started to thin out, and was instead replaced by an uneven spattering of red leading into a nearby alleyway. If not for the snow covering the ground, she could easily have missed it. It was clearly fresh - a stark crimson contrast in comparison with the white powder underfoot. She hesitated, wondering if she should call Dante. A muffled groan rang through the air. Lady parked her bike up as quietly as she could and snuck over to the edge of one of the buildings. She held her phone in her hand, preparing to call as soon as she had a confirmed sighting of Vergil. The pained sounds continued as she moved closer. She took a deep breath and held it in as she peeked around the corner as subtly as she could.

Vergil lay slumped against the wall opposite, desperately clinging to his left side. He was covered almost entirely in blood, and it was difficult to tell which, if any, belonged to him. Lady stepped back and started to dial Dante's number, only to have the phone knocked out of her hand by a glowing blue sword that quickly disappeared into a flurry of snow behind her. She let out a curse under her breath as she bent to pick up the device and realised that it was completely broken. She readed the Kalina Ann and then swung herself round the corner.

"Don’t move!" she called out, aiming the weapon directly at Vergil.

"Leave me be," Vergil hissed, glaring up at her.

"We both know that's not going to happen," she said, slowly stepping closer.

 _"Go!_ " Vergil yelled, drawing his sword. He grimaced at the movement, and his arm shook slightly as he raised it.

"Are you… injured?" Lady asked, noticing a growing pool of red forming around Vergil.

"My current state needn't concern you," Vergil stated, struggling to his feet. He swapped the Yamato to his left hand, using his right to grip his side again, then turned his back to her and prepared to make his escape. He only managed one slash through the air before Lady fired a round at his hand, causing him to drop the sword. Lady jumped back in surprise, having fully expected him to have deflected the attack.

"S-Stay where you are," she stammered nervously. She watched as he swayed in place for a moment before bending to retrieve his weapon.

"You'll pay for that," Vergil said quietly, turning to face her again. The snow was starting to grow heavier, but despite the chill in the air, she could see that he appeared to be sweating. He wiped some perspiration away from his eyes and started to walk towards her.

"What happened to you?" Lady asked, nodding towards his left side.

"Nothing but a minor inconvenience," Vergil said through gritted teeth. Lady hesitated for a moment then lowered her weapon before slinging it over her shoulder. After a brief pause, Vergil did the same, sheathing the sword with some difficulty using his left hand.

"Let me help you," Lady offered.

"I don't need your pity," Vergil replied. "Begone before I change my mind about sparing you."

"I think you'll find _I'm_ the one sparing _you_ ," Lady said smugly. She hoped the fear she felt wasn't obvious in her voice. This wasn't how she had planned this at all. Dante should have been on his way over by now while she hid around the corner. Instead, here she was, staring down his terrifying brother.

"I see why Dante values your companionship so much," Vergil said, unexpectedly. 

"...Huh?" Lady asked in confusion.

"Anyone else would have fled by now," Vergil said, shaking some snow loose from his hair. It was starting to come down thick and fast now, and the pair could barely see each other. Despite this however, Lady couldn't help but notice how striking Vergil's pale blue eyes looked as they stood out against the white. A tingle ran down her spine as he looked her up and down before staring into her own eyes again. “You’re awfully brave for a human.”

"If I left you behind, Dante would kill me," Lady said, trying to ignore the strange feeling that was starting to pool in her stomach as their gaze met. She had never really seen Vergil in anything but shadow before. This was the most natural lighting she had ever seen him in, and despite the darkening sky making it difficult to see him entirely clearly, she found herself wondering if he had always looked so… She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. _Both he and Dante are good looking guys,_ she told herself. _There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that_ , _it doesn't mean anything._

"Is pleasing Dante the only reason for your concern?" Vergil asked, glaring down at her.

Lady looked up at him, snapped out of her strange chain of thought. "Well, there's Nero to think about too, I guess," she replied. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw a pained expression flash across Vergil's features.

"And here I thought you were the type to only care about yourself," Vergil said, looking away.

"Look, enough chit chat," Lady said, moving closer. "If we stay here much longer we'll both turn into blocks of ice. Come with me and we can talk later."

"I'm not going back there," Vergil said, stepping back. "Not like this."

"Dante isn't gonna care what you look like," Lady said, following him as he slowly started to back away. "Besides, he's messed the shop up with a lot worse than some bloodied snow-"

"I said _no_ ," Vergil growled. The exertion caused him to cough, and Lady watched with concern as he spat out some blood. "I refuse to see anyone until these frivolous festivities have ended."

"You mean Christmas…?" she asked. "Is that seriously why you ran away - because you don't like Christmas?"

"Such things have no meaning to me," Vergil said, stumbling slightly. He let out a muffled curse and leant against one of the walls for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Despite the poor visibility, Lady could see a fresh patch of red appearing on the ground to his left.

"...Do you want me to take a look at that?" Lady asked, gesturing to his ribcage. He was holding onto it tightly, desperately trying to suppress the flow of blood.

"It will heal soon," Vergil stated.

"I'd have expected it to do that already," Lady said. "You guys usually heal pretty fast-"

" _I'll be fine_ ," Vergil reiterated. "Stop concerning yourself with me and leave before you freeze to death."

"If I do, where will you go?" Lady asked.

"It doesn't matter," Vergil said quietly. "I'll return to Dante's when I'm ready. You can tell him I escaped if it makes you feel better."

"Like I'd ever allow that to happen," Lady said, idly running her hand along the strap of the Kalina Ann.

"Then perhaps I shall just have to force you," Vergil said seriously.

"You don't scare me," Lady said (a complete lie of course). She placed her hands on her hips and straightened up in an attempt to look more intimidating.

Vergil glanced over at her, and for a moment it almost looked as though he was suppressing laughter. "Fine, stay then," he said at last. "Just know that I can withstand the cold a lot longer than you can."

"Man, you and Dante really are brothers, huh?" Lady said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "You're nothing but a pair of stubborn children!"

"Do not compare me to my idiotic brother," Vergil said defensively. "We are nothing alike."

"Prove it then," Lady said, jabbing a finger at Vergil. "Stop acting like a dumbass and let me help you!"

"Even if I did accept your offer, what could you do?" Vergil growled, gesturing to the narrow alleyway. "We're in the middle of an abandoned city ravaged by demons. It's not exactly an appropriate location to seek medical assistance."

"Come back to my place then!" Lady said without thinking. The pair stared at each other in shocked silence for a moment until Lady cleared her throat and spoke again. "Um, what I meant was-"

"Fine," Vergil interrupted. "I accept your offer."

"Wait, really? B-But, uh…"

"I have weighed up my options and deemed attending your residence to be the lesser of three evils," Vergil sighed. When Lady raised a confused eyebrow at him, he clarified: "I was planning to find an abandoned building to stay in for a few days, but I suppose if you're willing to take me in, then somewhere warm to recover wouldn't be an entirely unwanted benefit. It can’t be any worse than Dante’s place."

"Uh… Right…" Lady said, feeling increasingly nervous.

"You cannot tell Dante though," Vergil stressed. "And as soon as my injuries are healed, I’m leaving.”

"... Whatever," Lady sighed, heading back to her bike. 

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

"...I am not getting on that," Vergil said when Lady returned, wheeling her motorbike beside her.

"You don't have a choice," Lady said, standing in front of him and tapping her foot impatiently. "I don't exactly live nearby."

"Those things are already dangerous without the added risk of icy roads," Vergil said seriously. "And what’s to stop you taking me straight to Dante?"

"You really think I'd pull a stunt like that after finally getting you to listen to me?" Lady asked, feeling mildly offended.

"Don't assume I trust you just because I've accepted your assistance," Vergil stated. "I know exactly what you are capable of."

"Stop complaining and just get on," Lady said, gesturing to the passenger seat. "Honestly, this is the most I've heard you talk in twenty years - I never would have thought you were so picky!"

"I am not _picky_ ," Vergil spat. "I have merely learnt to put my own safety first-"

"Then get on the bike," Lady said sternly. "Or have you failed to notice the pool of blood at your feet?"

"This is nothing," Vergil said unconvincingly. He shakily removed his hand from his side and grabbed onto the Yamato. "Just tell me your address and we can…" he trailed off, seemingly trying to catch his breath again.

"Vergil-"

"We-" he began, before coughing violently and falling to his knees. Lady watched as he spat up yet more blood before trying to get to his feet again. She leant down and snaked his left arm around her shoulders, helping him to stand.

"Just trust me," Lady said, practically throwing him onto the back of her bike. She secured him as best she could, then pulled on her helmet and kicked the bike into gear. "You might want to try holding on," she said over her shoulder, receiving a reluctant sounding grunt in response.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

By the time they pulled up at Lady's apartment, Vergil had turned incredibly pale. Based on his dazed expression, she found it difficult to tell if it was due to his injury, or fear from speeding along on the motorbike.

"We're here," she said, shaking him gently. She helped him off the bike and the pair stumbled towards the front door of her ground floor maisonette. "First things first, we'll need to get you cleaned up," she said, fumbling with her key.

"I can take care of myself," Vergil mumbled. "I’ve suffered worse injuries by Dante’s hand."

"Whatever," Lady said, finally pushing the door open and hauling them both inside. The entryway opened straight into a living room with an open plan kitchen to the right, and a bedroom straight ahead. A door next to the bedroom led to the bathroom and Lady started to drag Vergil towards it, much to his protest.

"Unhand me," he growled, trying to pull away.

"I'm not letting you mess up my evening _and_ my house," Lady said angrily. "At least wait until you're somewhere with an easily cleanable floor."

As soon as they entered the bathroom, Lady dumped him next to the bath on the left. Vergil glared up at her, baring his teeth. "Leave," he hissed.

"Not until we work out what's going on," Lady said, walking over to the sink and starting to rummage around in a small cupboard underneath. She stood up with a dark green plastic box in her hands and headed back over to him. "I've fixed me and Dante up plenty of times, this won't take long," she explained. "Let's start by removing those bloodied rags you're wearing-"

"Don't even _think_ about trying to disrobe me, woman!" Vergil yelled, swatting her hand away. "Have you no shame?"

"I've seen Dante semi-naked plenty of times," Lady said dismissively. "You're twins, so it can't be that different, right?" She paused suddenly as the gravity of the situation finally hit her. _Of course this was different!_ She and Dante had known each other for _years_ , they were practically _siblings_ by this point! The man in front of her however… She looked Vergil up and down and felt her stomach flip lightly. Twins or not, she couldn't deny the strange feeling she felt whenever they made eye contact, or the slight heat she suddenly felt creeping up the back of her neck at the idea of undressing him.

"I can do this myself," Vergil said, breaking her train of thought.

"Fine," she said quickly, shoving the box into his hands. "Feel free to use the shower too. I'll leave a towel and some spare clothes outside. I'm gonna go change, yell if you need any help."

Vergil looked up at her with a bewildered expression, unsure what to make of her sudden change in attitude. "...Thank you," he mumbled at last, looking away.

Lady nodded and hurried out of the bathroom. After leaving the items outside as promised, she returned to her room and quickly changed out of her damp clothing into a white sweater and a pair of black slacks. She paced up and down for a while, wondering what she should tell Dante. _And how_ , she thought, suddenly remembering that her only method of communication was broken.

After half an hour or so, she peeked around her bedroom door and saw that the towel and spare clothes (some old rejects of Dante's that were now too tight for him) had remained untouched. She made her way over and hesitantly knocked on the bathroom door. "...Everything okay in there?" she asked. Hearing nothing but silence in return, she slowly cracked the door open. "I hope you're decent because I'm coming in…"

"Get out," Vergil's pained voice finally answered weakly. Lady stuck her head inside and saw Vergil slumped over in the bathtub, seemingly fiddling with his lower ribcage. He had used the detachable shower to clean some of the blood away, but it appeared to be flowing out just as fast as he could wash it. As she got closer, she realised only his lower half was clothed, and quickly averted her gaze.

"I was starting to get worried," she said, looking at the sodden piles of clothing strewn about.

"I'm… working on it," Vergil said, letting out a gasp. Lady heard the shower turn on again, followed by a hiss.

"Can I take a look?" she asked, glancing up at the ceiling.

Vergil made a few more pained sounding grunts then sighed. "...If you must," he conceded.

Lady crouched down next to the bath, finally allowing her gaze to fall on the disheveled man before her. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she caught sight of what was causing the issue. Embedded deep within his left side, she saw the glint of what looked to be rusted metal. "Is that…?"

"A blade," Vergil stated. Lady recalled an article she had once read by Nico about a certain type of demon that carried a set of cleavers around. What had she called them again… Antenora something? Vergil continued: "It must have gotten stuck in me while I was fighting earlier. This normally wouldn’t be an issue, but I just can't quite seem to get hold of it to remove it." 

"Want me to try?" Lady asked.

"I doubt you'll be able to do much more than I can," Vergil said through gritted teeth as he sprayed the area again. "But I suppose it can't hurt any more than it already does to let you have an attempt."

"So much for doing this alone, huh?" Lady said smugly, earning a glare in response. She quickly washed her hands then bent over him again. "We need to dry the area," she said. "It's probably too slippery to grip." She stepped outside and returned with the towel, which she reluctantly pressed to the area. "Guess I needed new ones anyway…" she muttered. She gently patted the wound, trying to soak up as much blood as she could. Vergil watched her closely, breathing heavily as he tried to avoid crying out in pain again. “...Quit staring, you’re distracting me” Lady said after a short while.

“Why are you helping me?” Vergil asked in response, taking a sharp intake of breath as Lady accidentally pressed down on the blade.

“Well I was hardly just gonna leave you there, was I?” Lady said. Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure herself why she was so intent on helping him; part of her wanted to use the excuse of Dante getting mad at her if she didn’t, but she knew it was just that - an excuse.

“I was always under the impression that you disliked me,” Vergil said, laying his head back against the side of the bath.

“So was I,” Lady said, smiling slightly to herself. “But hey, everyone deserves a second chance, right?”

“I’m glad…” Vergil said quietly, glancing over at her again.

“Hm?”

“Nothing,” Vergil said, looking up at the ceiling.

The pair remained in silence until, eventually, Lady was able to feel the blade through the rough fabric of the towel. She quickly moved the towel aside and gripped onto the metal as best she could. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.” She took a deep breath and looked into Vergil's eyes. "This is probably gonna hurt…"

"Just do it," he growled.

Lady gave a count of three and then yanked with all of her might. To her amazement it came loose straight away, sending a spray of blood over her bathroom wall. There was a blinding flash of blue as Vergil cried out, and by the time Lady could see again, she only just managed to catch the last remnants of Vergil's devil trigger dissolving on his skin.

"E-Easy right?" she stammered, letting the blade fall to the floor with a metallic clunk.

"You can leave now," Vergil panted, turning the shower on again.

"You're _welcome_ ," Lady huffed, washing the blood from her hands. “How’s the wound?”

“Healing,” Vergil said bluntly.

“I’m surprised something like this was causing you so much bother,” Lady said, picking up the cleaver-like blade. “You’ve survived much worse.”

“I would have dealt with it eventually,” Vergil replied, running a hand through his hair to clear it of blood. “...I apologise for my momentary incompetence,” he added, when Lady looked at him skeptically.

“Well, you seem better already so that’s good,” Lady said, tossing the blade into a small bin next to the sink. “Let me get you a fresh towel.” After receiving nothing but a grunt in response, Lady ran back to her room again. She caught a glimpse of herself in her bedroom mirror in the process, and let out an annoyed growl as she realised that her white sweater was now a pink one. She quickly changed again and returned to the bathroom. 

“I’ll leave this on the side for you,” Lady said, noticing that the shower curtain had been drawn. Her eyes fell on the pair of discarded trousers and underwear next to the bath and she felt herself blush slightly. “You uh, want me to clean your clothes?” she asked nervously.

“Doing so will only delay my departure longer,” Vergil said over the sound of running water. “I can take care of the matter myself.”

“Wait, are you planning on leaving straight away?” Lady queried, hovering awkwardly by the door. She knew she should probably step outside, but part of her also wanted to stay for some reason.

“I believe I made my intentions clear prior to our arrangement,” Vergil replied.

“But you’ve got nowhere to go…” 

“I only need to find somewhere to stay for a few days,” Vergil stated, shutting off the water. “Incidentally… Do you usually stand in the bathroom while your guests clean themselves?”

“Oh right, sorry! I’ll uh… put the spare clothes inside for you,” she said, quickly grabbing them. “Look, if you want to stay for a while longer, I suppose I could-”

“Get out,” Vergil sighed.

“Roger that…” Lady mumbled, stepping outside. She stood next to the closed door, wondering what she should do next. She knew she had to get him back to Dante somehow, or at least keep him in one place until she could work out what to do with him. If she let him go now, they might never find him again, despite his promise to return to the shop when this was all over. If only she had a way of contacting someone… 

The bathroom door opened suddenly and Vergil stepped out, almost crashing into her. She jumped back in surprise as he did the same, and the two stared each other down for a moment. With Vergil dressed in Dante’s clothes, and without his hair slicked back, it was easy to tell that they really were twins. For a brief moment Lady felt a sense of relief, wondering if somehow the younger brother had managed to turn up to take Vergil home. The illusion was quickly broken when Vergil spoke however.

“What are you doing?” he asked, suspicious.

“I thought you were leaving?” Lady replied, unsure how to answer. It was strange hearing such a cold voice coming from someone who looked so much like her close friend.

Vergil glowered at her for a moment longer, then tutted. “I thought it might be unprofessional to leave your bathroom in such a state,” he said, finally slicking his hair back. “I do not wish to be indebted to you, so I have decided I may as well fix my mess before I go.”

“Oh. Uh, thanks?” Lady said, hesitantly.

“I would also like to procure a bag for my clothing,” Vergil continued. “This shall of course be returned to you at a later date.”

“You know, you could just let me wash your stuff while you’re cleaning the bathroom,” Lady pointed out. “I need to clean my stuff anyway, so I might as well do yours at the same time.”

“I see…” Vergil said quietly. He looked over his shoulder into the bathroom. “...I suppose I can permit it. I’ll likely need something to change back into afterwards anyway, and I don’t much fancy going outside looking like this,” he added, tugging at the baggy black t-shirt he was wearing.

“I dunno, I think the casual look kinda suits you,” Lady said teasingly. “You certainly look a lot less terrifying this way, that’s for sure.”

“All the more reason for me to accept your offer then,” Vergil stated, smirking slightly. “I’ll be leaving as soon as they’re done, however.”

“Sure,” Lady said, letting out a small sigh of relief. She had managed to buy herself a bit more time. She quickly helped Vergil gather up his clothing and then handed him some cleaning supplies for the bathroom. It was clear from looking at him that he was still in some pain, and part of her wondered if cleaning the bathroom was just an excuse for him to stay and recover longer. Still, she wasn’t about to question this second chance. All she needed to do now was sneak outside and find the nearest payphone - something which unfortunately was easier said than done.

With the washing machine started, Lady kept her eyes on the closed bathroom door and quickly pulled on a coat and a pair of boots. _Just a few more minutes_ , she begged silently as she made her way over to the front door.

“Where are you going?” Vergil suddenly asked behind Lady as she turned to leave. She spun around to find him standing mere inches from her. He was so close she could smell the shampoo - _her_ shampoo - in his hair.

“...I need to buy a dessert for Nero’s dinner tomorrow,” she lied, stepping back slightly. _He looks even better without the blood,_ she thought briefly, before suppressing the idea.

“It can’t wait until I’m gone?”

“Tomorrow is Christmas Day, if I don’t get it now everything’ll be sold out,” Lady said, starting to feel increasingly nervous.

“Yet more evidence of the pointless nature of this holiday,” Vergil spat. “I still fail to see why one day should be more important than the others.”

“It’s just a nice tradition I guess,” Lady shrugged. “A day for everyone to spend time together and appreciate each other’s company. Plus, sharing gifts and food is nice too…”

“But why should there be one day dedicated to it in particular?” Vergil asked. “If anything it implies that people would rather not spend time together unless forced to by this _tradition_ you speak of. Does that not seem superficial to you?”

“I mean… perhaps a little?” Lady agreed. “But most people tend to look past that and just enjoy the day, you know?”

“I notice a distinct lack of ‘Christmas’ in _your_ home,” Vergil said, gesturing to Lady’s undecorated apartment. “Are you really in position to tell me that celebrating it is a compulsory action?”

“I just haven’t had time to decorate this year,” Lady shrugged. “I was planning to spend Christmas with Nero and Trish anyway, so I didn’t see the point. Besides, we used up all of the decorations at the shop-”

“A pointless action,” Vergil stated. A look of sadness flashed briefly across his features again, completely missable had he and Lady not been standing so close to each other. “If not for that room you prepared, I fear I might have gone quite mad being trapped amongst such garish adornments.”

“Well _I_ thought it looked good,” Lady said, stepping around Vergil so that she was no longer trapped between him and the front door. “But you at least liked the bedroom, huh?”

“It is... adequate,” Vergil replied, following her with his gaze. “More than I expected.”

“More than you _deserve_ ,” Lady said. “If I’d known you were going to be like this, I probably wouldn’t have bothered so much.”

“I appreciate it, nonetheless,” Vergil said, turning to face her. “I have spent much of my time there since we got back, if only to avoid Dante’s excessive nagging, and for that, I… thank you.”

“You already thanked me for the room, it’s fine,” Lady huffed. “At least _Dante_ appreciated the decorating.”

“So he tells you,” Vergil said, smirking slightly.

“I bet you’re still planning on skipping the Christmas meal at Nero’s place too, aren’t you?” Lady asked, giving him an accusatory glare. 

“I never gave any indication that I intended to go,” Vergil replied. “I would much rather meet him alone on my own terms, and not during some forced social engagement with a group of humans who have no meaning to me.”

“You’ve had plenty of time to do that already,” Lady pointed out. “It sounds to me like you’re just making excuses.”

“I am not going to explain myself to you, _Mary_ ,” Vergil sneered. His smug expression quickly disappeared when he noticed the hurt look on Lady's face at the mention of the name.

“You’re a real jerk, you know that?” Lady said, feeling her face turn hot. She let out an angry sigh and pushed past him, not entirely unintentionally aiming for his rib cage and earning a muffled grunt in response. “Look, I’m gonna have to call Dante,” she admitted, yanking the front door open. “He’s probably gonna send someone over here if he doesn’t hear from me soon.”

“Then let him,” Vergil said, slamming the door shut again.

“I am not going to be held prisoner in my own home!” Lady said angrily, nudging him in the ribs, harder this time. Vergil let out a pained yell and staggered slightly, giving Lady the opportunity she needed to open the front door again and run outside. It was completely dark now, and the snow was almost up to her knees. The moonlight was reflecting off the snow, casting an almost ethereal glow throughout the streets. She moved as fast as she could, hoping that she would be able to reach the gun in her boot in time if Vergil tried to stop her.

“Wait!” his voice called out behind her. Lady ignored it and kept wading through the snow, heading for the nearest payphone she could think of. She was done trying to deal with his stubborn attitude. A blue circle of light suddenly appeared in front of her and Vergil stepped out. “I told you to _wait_ ,” he said, angrily grabbing onto her shoulders.

“Let me go!” Lady demanded, trying to push him away.

“Just listen to me,” Vergil growled, tightening his grip.

"Let go of me first," Lady retorted, glaring up at him.

Vergil released her from his grasp and stepped back. "Don't try to run," he said.

“Like I’d let you stop me,” Lady said, reaching for her weapon.

“It was not my intention to offend you,” Vergil said, taking Lady by surprise.

Lady paused and straightened up. "What the heck is your deal?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. “Your attitude changes faster than Dante changes weapons!”

"I…" Vergil swallowed and looked away, clearly struggling to voice his thoughts. For a brief moment, Lady once again found the resemblance between the two brothers uncanny, and she wondered not for the first time how the pair could look so similar yet act so differently.

"Spit it out, I'm freezing here," Lady said, starting to shiver slightly. She wondered if Vergil was cold standing there in just Dante's old t-shirt. _So much for not wanting to go outside wearing it_ , she thought to herself smugly.

"I just need some more time," Vergil said at last. "I…” he paused again, clenching his fists.

"Time for _what?_ " Lady huffed. 

"It must seem strange to you," Vergil continued. "That someone could finally be reunited with their family and yet do everything in their power to avoid seeing them."

"Lots of people hate their family," Lady said. "But it's usually for a good reason. You haven't even tried talking to yours."

"I don't _hate_ them," Vergil said. "I just... " He sighed. "I've been gone for a long time. The world has moved on, while I…”

Lady observed him closely, a feeling of guilt starting to creep up on her again as she watched his internal struggle. She remembered Dante’s words - _Try to see things from his perspective_. Twenty years really was a lot to try and catch up on in just a week or so - wasn't it? To accept that you have a living family, and a _child_ at that. Dealing with that while being forced into family focussed festivities so soon... perhaps he couldn't be entirely blamed for his resistance. 

“...You wanna talk about it?” Lady asked, when Vergil said nothing further.

Vergil opened his mouth to respond then let out an angry growl. "Forget it," he spat, shaking his head. "Please excuse my momentary lapse in resolve. I spoke without thinking."

"Come on Vergil, you can't clam up forever," Lady said encouragingly. "If you need to talk about this, then do. I won't tell anyone."

"Talking is for the weak-minded," Vergil stated, starting to head back to the house. “Call Dante if you need to, I’m leaving.”

"Wait," Lady sighed, following him. “You know you’ll never feel better if you keep running away from your problems, right?”

“It’s not running away when you, yourself are the problem,” Vergil stated. He started to unsheathe the Yamato. "Look, forget I-" Vergil's words were halted by a sudden thump to the middle of his back. He froze in place then looked over his shoulder at Lady. "What was that-" Another thump, this time straight to the face. He stiffly raised a hand and brushed the soft flakes away, glaring at Lady who was standing there with a wide grin on her face. 

"Will you just lighten up for once?" Lady said, forming another snowball in her hands. "You're always so damn serious, it makes you impossible to talk to."

"Cease this foolish behaviour at once," Vergil said, dodging another snowball as it flew past his shoulder.

"Make me," Lady said, sticking out her tongue.

"This is your final warning," Vergil stated, cutting the next projectile cleanly in half with the Yamato.

"What's the matter, afraid you'll lose?" Lady retorted.

Vergil stiffened slightly and then let out an indignant grunt. "I refuse to engage in such frivolous activities," he said, sheathing his sword.

"Chicken," Lady said, throwing another snowball in his direction. There was a brief blur as Vergil turned suddenly, scooping a pile of snow into his hand and throwing it towards Lady with an annoyed growl. The pair watched as a flurry of white sprinkles filled the air between them before falling pathetically to the floor. After a brief pause, Vergil bent down and scooped up more snow. He threw it harder this time, looking confused when it once again fell to pieces before getting anywhere near Lady.

“Why isn’t this working?” he grumbled to himself, trying again, still with no luck.

“You have to make it into a ball first,” Lady explained, shocked that her risky tactic to get him to engage with her had worked. Dante was right - Vergil really couldn't turn down a challenge. She squashed some flakes together and tossed it towards Vergill, who caught it mid-air. It fell to pieces in his hand almost immediately.

“I don’t understand,” he said, letting the broken pieces fall to the ground. Seemingly self-conscious, he straightened up and started to walk away again with an indignant tut. “...And I don’t need to, either.”

“Giving up so easily?” Lady called after him. “Imagine Dante’s reaction when he finds out you lost a snowball fight!”

“Show me,” Vergil said, turning quickly and stalking towards her.

“That’s more like it,” Lady said, earning an angry scowl in response. She bent down and scooped up some snow, then waited for Vergil to do the same. “It’s easy, see?” she said, forming a small sphere. She watched as Vergil tried to do the same, only to squash it completely and end up with a flat disc instead. “Ugh, here...”. She threw her snowball away and placed her hands over his, helping him to shape the snow. His hands felt warm despite the icy air, and she instantly felt him tense up beneath her touch. Vergil stared at her for a moment, clearly unsure how to react.

“...I don't need your assistance,” he said at last, gently pulling himself free. Lady quickly stepped back and threw her hands in the air.

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking!” she said, blushing furiously. “I just wanted to help, I-”

“Calm yourself, woman,” Vergil said bluntly. There was a slight waver to his voice, and Lady wondered if he felt as embarrassed as she did. She really needed to be more careful - this was _Vergil_ after all.

“Have you seriously never made a snowball before?” she asked as she watched Vergil continue to try and fail miserably.

“I’ve never had the opportunity,” Vergil replied, focussing intently on the small pile of flakes in his hand. 

“Didn’t your parents ever-” Lady froze as she realised what she was saying. Dante never really talked about his and Vergil’s parents, and it was easy to forget sometimes that the pair hadn’t exactly had a normal childhood. Come to think of it, her’s hadn't been perfect either.

“You need not avoid the topic,” Vergil said, throwing the half-melted pile of slush away. “It doesn’t bother me after all these years.”

“I’m sorry, I should have known better,” Lady said, looking down at the snow. “After all, I don’t have any parents left either.” 

“Does that upset you?”

“Sometimes,” Lady said quietly. “When I think about it too much.”

“You lost your father because of me,” Vergil muttered, scooping up a fresh pile of snow. “Yet you speak with me so casually - is that not strange?”

Lady thought back to her conversation with Trish in the shop a few weeks ago. Up until now, she had attributed at least _some_ of the blame for her father’s death to Vergil. She had been so sure that she would hate him the second she saw him, and for a while, she had. But now, seeing him standing in front of her rather childishly trying to form a snowball, she realised that she was finally ready to accept the truth: Vergil didn't kill her father - she did. Blaming someone else was never going to change that. Vergil was just as much a victim of her father's distorted ideals as she had been. Just like her mother… “It's not your fault,” Lady said, shaking her head. She wiped a few stray tears away and looked up at Vergil again. “My father played us both in the end - you didn’t make him act the way he did.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Your actions may have partially led to his death, but you certainly didn’t kill him.”

“I didn’t?” Vergil asked, surprised.

“I mean, I’m not saying you’re entirely innocent, but…” Lady trailed off when she noticed Vergil’s wide-eyed expression. “Wait, you didn’t know?”

“I don’t understand…” Vergil said quietly. “Dante and I, we…”

“He didn't die,” Lady said. “Not by your hand anyway.”

“Then who-”

“I did,” Lady sighed. “I came across him after your battle and…”she chewed her lip nervously, trying to hold back the unexpected tears that threatened to start flowing. Vergil remained silent as she explained the events of that day some twenty or so years ago. She watched as his expression changed from shock, to anger, to what appeared to be relief.

“...I’ve thought about that day a lot you know,” Vergil said at last, clenching his fists and crushing the small pile of snow he had been holding. “During all those years I spent alone, trapped, and …” He looked down at Lady, who was steadily beginning to regret even bringing the topic up. “Ever since I discovered you and Dante were still acquainted, all I’ve wanted to do is apologise.” He sighed. “Even if you hadn’t been, I would have tracked you down.”

“But why…?” Lady asked. “I’d have thought my existence would mean nothing to you. I’m just some _human_ after all, right?”

“I saw something in you back then,” Vergil stated. “You’re not like the others. It’s why your father needed you in the _Temen-ni-gru_ , and I’ve no doubt it’s why Dante trusts you so much. You’re…” He shook his head and smiled wryly. “To think I spent so much time lamenting over nothing...”

“I’m sorry no-one told you sooner,” Lady said, rubbing her hands together to try and warm up. A low mist was starting to rise, and it brought bitter wind with it. “But hey, if things hadn’t worked out the way they did, I wouldn’t have all the great friends I do now. In some ways, you did me a favour!” She forced a smile. The whole exchange was making her feel increasingly uncomfortable.

“How can you be so…” Vergil began. He sighed. “Thank you for telling me,” he said. “I understand now why you were so willing to aid me.”

"I couldn't have left you there anyway," Lady said, hoping to change the topic. "Dante would've killed me."

"Is that how it is…" Vergil said absently. "Mary, listen-"

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's _Lady_ now," Lady interrupted, glaring at him.

"It shouldn't have to be that way," Vergil stated. "Your father took so much from you already, are you really satisfied with letting him take your name too?"

“I’ve been ‘Lady’ longer than I was ever ‘Mary’,” Lady said, grimacing at the use of her old name. “Besides, the less reminders I have of _him_ the better.”

“I am afraid you will always be Mary to me,” Vergil said. “And I’d rather not use a name bestowed upon you by my idiotic brother. If it upsets you so, then perhaps I shall just have to call you nothing at all.”

“ _Speaking_ of Dante…” Lady stressed, desperate to move the conversation away from her old name.

“Speak with him if you must…” Vergil sighed. “This has been an unexpected, but not entirely unpleasant exchange. If you are willing to do so, we should continue this discussion at a later date.”

“I mean, you could just stick around a bit longer…” Lady suggested, intrigued to see what else he had to say. 

“You said yourself that Dante will get concerned if he does not hear from you.”

“I'm still gonna talk to him,” Lady said. “But I can ask him if he'd be happy to let you stay with me for a while...” She looked up at him nervously. “If you want to, that is.”

“A lone woman asking a strange man to stay the night…” Vergil said, smiling ever so slightly. “I do hope this is not a frequent habit of yours.”

“Dante stays over all the time,” Lady said somewhat teasingly. “And he’s as strange as they get!”

Vergil’s expression darkened. “Is that so?”

“Yep, we stay over at each other’s places all the time,” Lady continued, starting to head towards the phonebox. Vergil followed behind her slowly, maintaining the distance between the two. “We’ve slept together on occasion too,” she added. “In the same bed that is,” she clarified quickly, turning to grin at Vergil.

“Are you mocking me?” Vergil asked irritatedly.

“That depends, is what I’m saying bothering you for some reason?” Lady retorted.

“You should be more careful,” Vergil stated, deciding to close the gap between them. “My brother is not as innocent as you might think.”

“And you _are?_ ” Lady asked, raising an eyebrow. “I can take care of myself you know - he knows damn well if he ever tried anything there’d be a bullet through his brain before he could even make the first move.”

“And if _I_ were to do the same?” Vergil queried, moving closer still. He grabbed onto her arm and spun her around to face him. “Do you think you would be able to defend yourself?”

“Who's to say I’d want to?” Lady replied, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. She was hoping to embarrass him, just a little, in an attempt to disperse the serious feeling that still hung in the air following their discussion. It was a bold move, given how little he liked to back down.

Vergil chuckled briefly. It was a strange sound coming from the usually stoic half-demon, but Lady didn't find it entirely unpleasant. “A dangerous game to play,” he said, stepping back. “And one which I will not fall for.”

Lady let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she was holding and looked up at him with a shaky smile. “That was close, I was worried I might actually have to follow through for a second there.” She quickly turned away from him again to hide the blush that was slowly starting to cover her cheeks.

“I am not the sort to act carelessly on impulse,” Vergil stated, now walking beside her as they continued onwards. “Although I do admire your attempts at seducing me.”

“W-Wait a minute, I wasn’t-”

Vergil laughed again, longer this time. It took Lady a moment to realise that he had just won their little game after all, and she gave him a light punch on the arm. He looked almost completely different when he actually smiled for once, and she found herself wishing that he would do it more often.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

At last, the pair reached the phonebox. Lady stood outside it counting some change, while Vergil stood a short distance away, seemingly trying (and failing) yet again to make a snowball. Lady watched him for a moment, surprised at how much he had seemed to relax since their brief talk earlier. After a while, he looked up and quickly threw the icy pile away before clearing his throat.

“Aren’t you going to go in?” he asked.

“I was going to ask what you wanted me to say,” Lady replied. “Do you want me to tell him everything?”

“...No,” Vergil said after a moment’s thought. “I can’t let him know I was immobilised by something so insignificant.”

“Come to think of it, what _were_ you doing fighting all those demons?” Lady asked. “You surely weren’t doing it out of the goodness of your heart.”

“That is somewhat prejudiced of you to assume, is it not?” Vergil said, looking mildly offended. When Lady said nothing further, he tutted and crossed his arms. “Stress relief,” he admitted. “That, and…”

“And?”

“...I was hoping to tire myself out enough to finally be able to sleep,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had more than an hour’s sleep since we got back.”

“ _What?_ ” Lady asked in disbelief. “But-”

“I haven’t had the need to in a long time,” Vergil explained. “I... think I might have forgotten how to.”

“But you said the room we prepared was…”

“Perfect for reading,” Vergil clarified. “And for lying down and _trying_ to sleep. The bedding is actually quite comfortable.”

"Guess this helps explain your crappy attitude," Lady said with a grin. Then, more seriously: "Does Dante know about this?"

"Dante can't even keep track of his own schedule, let alone mine," Vergil sighed. "I doubt it would make much of a difference anyway."

"You really need to start taking care of yourself more…" Lady said. "Not that it's any of my business of course," she hastily added. Vergil stared at her for a moment then turned away with a quiet tut.

"Hurry up and make the call," he said, crossing the street to sit on a snow covered bench.

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"Lady? Man am I glad you called, I was starting to consider sending out a search party for you too!" Dante's voice sounded crackly through the cheap public phone.

"Yeah, sorry about that. There was a… situation," Lady said hesitantly. She still hadn't worked out exactly what she planned to say.

"So, did you find him?"

"Kinda…" Lady said without thinking.

"Kinda? Oh man, please tell me you didn't let him escape-"

"It's fine, I know where he is," Lady said quickly. "It's just a bit complicated…"

"He's with you now, isn't he?" Dante said worriedly. "Listen if he's preventing you from talking-"

"It's nothing like that," Lady said. She looked through the frosted glass at Vergil. She could just about make out his shape under a dim streetlight near the bench. As she watched however, the light started to flicker slightly. Further along the street, a few of the lights started to turn off completely. _Uh oh…_

"Lady?" Dante's voice sounded faint on the phone.

“I’m fine,” Lady said quickly, realising what was about to happen as the darkness grew closer. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Where’s-” Dante began before the line went dead.

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"How long do I have?" Vergil asked as Lady approached.

"What do you mean?" she replied, moving to sit down but changing her mind when she saw how damp the bench was. Vergil glanced up at her then moved across, offering her the now dry area he had been sitting on.

"I suspect Dante is on his way to _collect_ me, no?" he said, suppressing a shiver as the thin t-shirt he was wearing became even more soaked.

"Yeah about that..." Lady hesitated briefly then sat down. "...Thank you."

"Go on..." Vergil said, looking up as the lamp next to them went out completely.

It took Lady’s eyes a moment to adjust, but once they did she quickly realised that the only source of light now was once again the eerie glow of the moon reflecting off the snow - and even that was dulled slightly by the fog that was beginning to surround them. With his face almost completely in shadow, Vergil looked more than a little intimidating, yet at the same time, he also looked strangely alluring. She quickly explained to him how the phone had stopped working before she could finish talking to Dante. “It’s probably the snow’s fault,” she finished.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Vergil asked after a moment, standing up and offering Lady his hand.

“Of what?” she replied, hesitantly taking it and allowing herself to be dragged to her feet.

“You’re trapped out here alone with me, and no-one has even the slightest idea,” Vergil said, maintaining his grip on her hand. “If I were to do something to you-”

“You won’t though,” Lady said, pulling herself free. _You don’t seem like the sort_ , she thought to herself. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said out loud, as confidently as she could.

“You’re placing a lot of trust in someone you’ve only known for a few hours,” Vergil stated. “I wonder if I should be concerned.” Even despite the low light, his eyes shone out from the darkness, watching her closely.

“I think we both know it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Lady said, wishing she could see him more clearly. When he said nothing further she cleared her throat and started to walk past him. “We should head back.”

“Yes, I suppose we’d better,” Vergil said, unsheathing the Yamato. “Shall we?”

Lady stared at him in confusion for a moment before realising what he meant. “I think I’d rather walk,” she said. “It’s not that far.”

“This would be much faster,” Vergil frowned, lowering the weapon. “Especially given current circumstances...”

“Feel free to go on without me if it bothers you,” Lady said, continuing to march back towards the house. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was so cold that she could barely force herself to move, but she’d be damned if she was going through some weird demonic portal.

“I’m afraid you leave me no choice but to join you,” Vergil said, following behind her. “It would reflect poorly on me if I allowed you to perish out here alone.”

“It’s only a bit of snow,” Lady laughed. “Besides, you’re in worse shape than me right now. If anything, I’m looking after _you!_ ”

“I think you’ll find I am completely healed now, thank you,” Vergil said seriously. “The only thing causing me bother at the moment are these awful rags my brother calls clothing.”

“Count yourself lucky you have _anything_ to wear,” Lady replied. “Otherwise this evening could have gone _very_ differently.”

“There’s still plenty of evening left,” Vergil said with a smirk, earning another punch on the arm from Lady.

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“Wait,” Vergil said sharply as they drew closer to Lady’s house. He reached out and grabbed onto her shoulder, holding her in place.

“What’s the matter?” Lady asked, unconsciously moving a little closer to him.

“There’s someone there,” Vergil replied, pointing to a shadowy figure in the distance. Lady squinted slightly in the direction he was indicating, trying to see what he was talking about.

“I can’t see anything,” she admitted at last.

“Ah, of course - _human_ ,” Vergil tutted. He stepped around her and raised his weapon before starting to move closer. “I’ll handle it.”

Lady followed slowly behind him, her own gun now in her hand. As they drew near, she finally saw what was bothering him. “Hold on-” she began before a flash of blue shot across the street, cleaving the figure in half.

“Pathetic,” Vergil said, sheathing the Yamato with a faint click.

“You idiot!” Lady said, smacking him on the back of the head. “What if that had been a human?”

“I don’t recall humans having talons,” Vergil said angrily, rubbing the spot Lady had hit. “We're lucky it fell as quickly as it did-”

“Those aren’t _talons_ you dumbass, they’re _branches_ ,” Lady sighed, walking over to the fallen snowman. “Man, some kid’s gonna be pissed in the morning…”

“I don’t understand…” Vergil mumbled, staring into a pair of coal black eyes. “Why does it continue to smile, even in death?”

Lady stared at Vergil in disbelief, shaking her head. “You really do have a lot to learn, huh…” she said. She looked down at the broken pile of snow again, an idea forming in her mind.

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“This is much easier on a grander scale,” Vergil said, pushing a large snowball along the ground.

“I still think you should learn how to start them,” Lady replied, rolling a slightly smaller one. She still couldn’t believe that he had agreed to go along with this - although it had taken a lot of convincing. As it turned out (even though he was embarrassed to admit it) Vergil found snow strangely relaxing to manipulate. _A nice change from the flames,_ he’d explained when pushed. The sky had cleared up slightly and Lady was grateful for the extra light.

“What do we have to do next?” Vergil asked as he reached her. Now that they were closer again, Lady couldn’t help but notice that he looked even more tense than usual and seemed to be moving somewhat stiffly.

“...Are you cold?” she asked, noting what appeared to be goosebumps on his arms. She had been so caught up in things, that she'd practically forgotten he was just wearing a t-shirt.

“Let’s get this over with,” Vergil said, avoiding the question.

Knowing that she would be unlikely to get an answer, and not wanting to delay things any longer in case he really _was_ freezing to death, Lady sighed and pointed between the two snowballs. “We put the smaller one on top and make sure they’re stuck together,” she explained. “Then we just decorate him and we're done.”

“Remind me again of the purpose of this?” Vergil queried, lifting the smaller ball with ease and dumping it on top.

“Because it’s fun?” Lady replied, helping him to adjust it. “...And because you wrecked the original one.”

“And what of it?” Vergil asked, turning to face her. “Something made of such weak material was never going to last forever.”

“Maybe not, but it would still suck for the kid to come out and find his snowman murdered on Christmas Day,” Lady retorted.

“Again with that word,” Vergil growled. “It’s as though nothing else matters except that damned holiday.”

“Can’t you at least _try_ to get into the spirit?” Lady asked desperately. “Isn’t doing this making you feel at least _something?_ ”

“Does feeling a desire to leave count?” Vergil huffed irritatedly.

Lady sighed in frustration. “Come on, you said you’d do this so let’s finish it.” She bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. “We just put this around the join here, see…” Vergil said nothing further and continued to help her finish the snowman’s body, albeit much more reluctantly it seemed. Once it was finally done, Lady picked up the branches and pebbles from the pile of snow that has been the previous snowman. “Here, you can decorate it if you want,” she said, shoving them into his hands. She hoped it would lighten his mood a little to do so and maybe, just _maybe_ make him feel a bit more festive.

“I have no interest in such things,” Vergil replied, trying to pass them back.

“Just try it,” Lady said, stepping aside as the items fell to the ground again. “ _Please?_ ”

Vergil stared down at the collection of objects and sighed. “You said that a child made this initially?” he asked, picking up a branch and forcefully impaling the side of the snowman’s body.

“I mean, that was just a guess,” Lady replied. “It could have been anyone really.”

“But this is usually an activity reserved for children?”

“Maybe a lot of the time, but adult friends and couples do it too...” Lady trailed off, watching him fiddling with the snowman’s arm. “... Plus, a lot of parents have fun helping their kids to build one,” she added when he said nothing further.

“...What about…” Vegil bent down and picked up the other branch before stabbing it into the other side.

“Careful, you’ll break if you’re too rough,” Lady said, adding some more snow around the newly formed hole.

“Would an adult child…” Vergil mumbled quietly.

“Hm?”

“I am not a child,” Vergil said sternly, shoving a pair of pebbles onto the head. “So I fail to see why I should be responsible for fixing this.”

“You’re enjoying yourself though, right?” Lady asked, locating a carrot buried in the original pile. She leant around Vergil and stuck it between the eyes.

“I am tolerating this because you asked me to,” Vergil said unconvincingly. “As further payment for your assistance today…”

“As long as you’re having fun then it doesn’t matter if it’s ‘childish’,” Lady continued, patting him on the shoulder. She was concerned about how cold his skin felt, even through the fabric of the shirt and ran her hand down his arm, earning a glare in response.

“What are you-”

“You’re freezing!” she exclaimed. “We need to get you inside!”

“I told you, I’m perfectly fine,” Vergil huffed. He shrugged her hand away and quickly stuck the rest of the pebbles onto the snowman’s face, forming an angry frown. “He is melancholy, for he knows his existence is transient,” Vergil explained when Lady raised an eyebrow at him.

“Whatever,” Lady sighed, shaking her head. “It’ll do. Now come on, I’m actually getting kinda worried about you being out here-”

“He is not complete,” Vergil said, looking around the area. Not finding what he was looking for, he approached a nearby tree and snapped off a length of branch. He stripped it down until it looked vaguely swordlike and then balanced it carefully between the snowman’s gnarled fingers.

“Cute,” Lady said, tapping her foot impatiently.

“Necessary…” Vergil stated, giving the finished snowman a light bow.

“Sure…” Lady said, struggling to read his expression in the dim light. “Listen, I’m glad that you’re finally getting into this but we need to go.”

“My, my, finding it difficult to deal with the temperature?” Vergil asked. She suspected he was probably sneering at her, but it was difficult to tell.

“If that’s what it takes to get you somewhere warm, then yes, I’m freezing,” Lady replied. She snaked her arm underneath Vergil’s and started to gently drag him towards the direction of the house. To her surprise, he didn’t pull away this time. She could feel his muscles tensing beneath his skin, and he seemed to be exerting a lot of effort with each step. Whether he meant to or not, he leaned into her slightly, and continued to do so for the entire walk back.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

“I can’t believe you were suppressing your shivers!” Lady said angrily as she piled yet another blanket on top of Vergil. He was sitting on her bed, illuminated only by a small battery powered torch in the corner of the room. As soon as Lady had been able to see him more clearly, she was horrified to realise that there was a layer of frost on his hair and that his skin was practically blue.

“Shivering is a sign of weakness…” Vergil said sternly, his teeth chattering.

“It’s a bodily function to prevent you from freezing to death you idiot!” Lady said, rubbing his hands between hers. “Why didn't you say anything?!”

“I did, I told you I was fine,” Vergil grumbled. “You are concerning yourself over nothing.”

“This isn’t _nothing_ ,” Lady said, grabbing a towel and roughly drying his hair with it. “Damn it, if only the power would come back I could throw you into a hot bath…” She reached through the layers of blankets and touched his chest. “We need to get this wet shirt off you too,” she said. “It can’t be helping.”

“You seem awfully keen to undress me this evening,” Vergil said smiling weakly.

“Normally I’d shoot you for a comment like that,” Lady said, standing up. “But we don’t have time. I’m going to get your stuff from the washing machine, you might want to take that off while I’m gone.”

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By the time Lady came back a short while later, Vergil had completely wrapped himself up in her duvet, in addition to the other blankets. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said as Lady sat next to him.

“We have a slight problem…” Lady replied, glancing down at the discarded clothing on the floor. It seemed the shirt wasn’t the only clothing he had removed - and probably for good reason too given how sodden it all looked.

“It seems we’ve had nothing but today,” Vergil sighed. He sat in silence as Lady explained that the powercut had stopped the laundry before it could dry, meaning that there was nothing he could wear that wasn’t at least slightly damp.

“...I was going to make a bed for you on the sofa, but you can keep the bedroom for obvious reasons,” Lady said, blushing furiously. “I’m hoping they’ll be dry in time for the dinner tomorrow-”

Vergil let out a dry chuckle, taking Lady by surprise. “Ahh...Very clever,” he said, shaking his head. “I must say, I admire the amount of effort you’ve put into this…”

“What are you talking about?” Lady asked, moving away from him slightly.

“Has this been the motivation for your kindness towards me all along?” Vergil asked skeptically. “Just to force me into attending some pathetic meal? It seems I was a fool for not realising sooner.”

“Huh? Don’t be ridiculous!” Lady cried. “I’m doing this because I want to help you!”

“I don’t need _help_ ,” Vergil said irritatedly. “And I certainly don’t appreciate being lied to.”

“I’m not lying about anything,” Lady said, sounding hurt. “Has the cold got to your brain too-”

“I thought you were different,” Vergil huffed. “But I realise now that you're just like the rest of them. I must say, faking a blackout is quite the impressive feat…”

“None of this is part of some ‘grand scheme’ you moron!” Lady said angrily. “Sure, I might have confronted you at first for Dante and Nero’s sake, but now that I’ve actually had the chance to talk to you, I...” She sighed, trying to hold back tears.

“Was it all lies?” Vergil asked. “Even the ‘truth’ about your father?”

“I can’t believe you right now!” Lady yelled, getting to her feet. “Do you really think so lowly of me?”

“I just need to know,” Vergil growled. He moved to stand up himself but paused when he saw the tears reflected in her eyes.

“And here I thought I was actually getting through to you,” Lady hissed. “I understand that this is hard for you to comprehend, but doesn’t at least a little part of you appreciate the fact that we’re all trying so hard to make you feel welcome? After everything you’ve done, after the way you’ve treated us, you should count yourself lucky, because it’s damn well-”

“More than I deserve... I know that,” Vergil mumbled. He leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. “I should never have come here."

“Vergil...” Lady hesitantly sat next to him again and placed a hand on his back. “... Look, I probably shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It’s just…”

“I know I must seem ungrateful,” Vergil said quietly. “I know that I am hard to understand, and that I am… _difficult_ to be around.” He looked up at her, his face hidden in shadow. “Whether your kindness towards me today was genuine or not, I appreciate it nonetheless. It’s not often that I…” He looked away again, pulling the duvet and pile of blankets around him tighter. “I’ll leave as soon as I can,” he sighed.

“...You don’t need to go anywhere,” Lady said, wrapping her arm around the bundle. She felt him stiffen, even beneath the multiple layers. “I shouldn't have said those things, I’m sorry.”

“You reacted like any other person would have,” Vergil replied, appearing to lean into her touch slightly. “I am the one at fault for doubting you so easily - you’ve no need to apologise to me.”

“You-” Lady began. She wanted to tell him that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but she knew that wasn’t entirely true. From the sounds of it, he knew it too. “Okay, so maybe you’re being a little bit unreasonable,” she said finally. “But the important thing is that you recognise that, and that’s the first step towards making things right.”

Vergil let out a low chuckle and finally turned to face her again. What she could make out of his expression in the dim light was strained. “What’s the point of trying to fix things when I’ll only end up destroying them again?” he asked. “You’re just wasting your time. You all are.”

“We’ve all done things we regret,” Lady said, daring to push a few stray locks of hair away from his eyes. “And as it turns out, sometimes we can even regret things we haven’t done!” A small smile tugged at the corner of Vergil’s mouth. “No one will ever truly be able to understand what you’ve been through,” Lady continued, wiping some tears away from her eyes. “But we’re trying our best to help you as much as we can, and if you somehow mess up again, then we’ll just help you with that too.”

“It seems you’ve done this before,” Vergil said, matter-of-factly. 

“Similar perhaps,” Lady admitted. “Let’s just say that Dante didn’t take to losing you very well back then.”

“He is lucky to have you,” Vergil said, glancing away again. 

“You have me too,” Lady said, blushing slightly. “You have all of us. You’re part of this family of misfits now and we’re gonna do everything we can to make sure you feel welcome.”

“I’m not like the others...” Vergil sighed.

“Vergil, our team is made up of a demon created by the King of the Underworld, two descendants of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, a gunsmith whose father created a bunch of artificial demons, and girl who shot her own father point blank in the head - I think you’ll fit in just fine,” Lady said. “We’re all a hot mess, don’t worry.”

“You have a wonderful way with words,” Vergil said, smiling genuinely at last.

“And they’re all true,” Lady said, feeling her stomach flip again. _I definitely need to make him smile more,_ she told herself.

“My brother could stand to learn some persuasion techniques from you…” Vergil scoffed. “He just told me to… what was it… _Stop being a jerkass_.”

“Dante has never been good at conveying his emotions,” Lady laughed. “I guess you really are twins in that sense!” There was another scowl from Vergil in response. “But I know he has your best interests at heart too.”

Vergil hummed thoughtfully. “...Thank you, Ma-” he gulped. “ _Lady_ ,” he forced out. “I apologise for causing you distress.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Lady said, grinning shakily. “And just for the record, I did everything today because I wanted to, not because someone told me to. And I _definitely_ didn’t screw over my entire neighbourhood just to get you to go to dinner,” she added, attempting to give him a light hug through the various blankets. 

“You really are an interesting one, aren’t you…” Vergil muttered, taking her free hand in his.

“Speak for yourself,” Lady said, giving his hand a light squeeze in return. It felt clammy still, though part of her wondered if that was entirely due to the cold.

He straightened up. “This… _meal_ tomorrow…” he said hesitantly. “You'll be there too?”

“Of course!” Lady said. “We can even go together if you like-”

“I have not said that I will be going,” Vergil said sharply. “I was merely curious.”

“You don’t have to stay for the whole thing you know,” Lady said seriously. “Even just showing your face would mean a lot to everyone…”

“I believe I have already made my thoughts on the matter clear,” Vergil said dismissively. Lady glanced down at their hands and realised that he had been gently rubbing his thumb along the back of hers. Vergil appeared to notice at the same time and quickly withdrew his hand.

“Why don’t you try sleeping on it?” Lady suggested, fighting the urge to grab his hand again. She couldn’t tell if what she was feeling towards him at the moment was anger or pity. _Or perhaps something else entirely._ “Or... lie down and think about it I suppose, if you’re still having trouble,” she added.

“It seems a shame to cut our conversation short so soon…” Vergil said, stifling a yawn. 

“I mean… I guess I can stick around a bit longer, if you like…” Lady said, hesitantly. “Although last time I tried that while you were naked you seemed less than pleased!”

Vergil laughed again - genuinely this time. “Perhaps that was foolish of me,” he remarked. “I would be more than happy for you to join me on this occasion.”

“Th-That’s-!”Lady stammered, standing up quickly. 

Vergil’s bemused expression faded and he sighed. “I apologise,” he said seriously. “I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“N-No it’s fine, I…” Lady hovered awkwardly by the bedroom door, unsure what to say. She was used to Dante’s pathetic attempts at flirting with her by now, and after so many years it had become pretty much just a joke between them. But _this…_ Coming from _him…_

“Thank you for today,” Vergil said, smiling at her again. “I should probably try to rest before I complicate things further.”

“I don’t mind keeping you company,” Lady blurted out, taking herself by surprise. “Um, until you fall asleep I mean… if you want… uh…” _What are you saying?!_ her mind screamed at her.

Vergil stared at her in apparent shock for a moment. His jaw tightened. “Don’t you have some sort of dessert you need to obtain?” he asked tensely, narrowing his eyes.

It took Lady a moment to realise what he was talking about, given that she had only used the shopping trip as an excuse at the time. “It’s too late for that now unfortunately,” she said nervously. “But if you want me to go-”

“Stay,” Vergil said firmly. He carefully got to his feet, trailing the blankets behind him as he walked over to her. He silently reached out and took her hand in his again. “...Just for a while.”

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

“Well what a surprise, he didn’t show,” Nero sighed, hoping he didn’t look as disappointed as he felt.

“Let’s be honest, were we really expectin’ him to?” Nico said, fiddling with a small radio on the dining table. “Besides, y’all know he’d just ruin the mood.”

“There’s still time,” Lady said sternly, looking out of the window for the billionth time that afternoon. When she had woken up to find Vergil gone that morning, she was saddened, but not surprised. She was an idiot to think she could ever change his mind so easily.

“I still can’t believe you let him escape,” Dante piped up from the sofa, where he was checking his guns. “It’s so unlike you.”

“Don’t be so hard on her,” Trish said, joining Lady next to the window. “It’s hard to keep up with a sword that can teleport anywhere.”

“He’ll turn up,” Lady said. She hated how desperate she was to see him again. Part of her wondered if he felt the same way, or if last night had been meaningless to him after all. She hoped that maybe, just _maybe_ , she had been able to make some cracks in the icy enigma that was Vergil. She sighed. Perhaps _she_ was the one that had been played all along...

“You doing okay?” Trish asked, slinging an arm around her friend’s shoulders and pulling her out of her train of thought. “You haven’t really spoken much since we got here.”

“I’m just tired,” Lady said, forcing a smile. “I was searching all night.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” Nero said, helping Kyrie bring through some bowls for dessert. “But hey, what’s one more year right?”

“You should have told me,” Dante said seriously. “You know I wouldn’t have wanted you to go that far.”

“Guess I just lost track of time,” Lady shrugged.

“Any news on the radio yet?” Trish asked Nico as a crackly voice came into focus on the small device she was holding.

“Nothin’ ‘cept that powercut near Lady’s place last night,” Nico replied, adjusting the dial again.

“Doesn’t mean he isn’t up to something…” Dante said, standing up and grabbing his sword.

“Or that he ain’t killin’ all the reporters before they can tell anyone,” Nico chipped in.

“He’d _never_ -” Lady began angrily before stopping herself. When everyone looked at her in surprise, she shook her head and stared out of the window again. She could see the three orphans that Kyrie and Nero had adopted building a snowman outside, and it sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. 

“I think we’d have heard about something like that by now, surely?” Trish said, giving Lady’s arm light squeeze.

“Unfortunately all bets are off when it comes to my brother,” Dante sighed, checking his guns one last time. “Nero, look after everyone while I’m gone, okay?”

“Do you really have to go _now?_ ” Nero asked Dante as he headed towards the front door. “You can’t stay for even just a bit of dessert?”

“Kid, you know I’d love to…” Dante said reluctantly. “But I just can’t risk leaving him out there any longer.” He flashed a grin. “But hey, save me a couple of helpings, I’m sure I’ll be back in no time!”

“We appreciate you staying for the main meal at least,” Kyrie said, appearing behind Nero and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t we, Nero?”

“Yeah, of course…” Nero agreed, wrapping an arm around Kyrie’s waist. “Seriously it means a lot, so…”

“Hey come on, no need to get all sentimental with me,” Dante said, ruffling Nero’s hair. “I wasn’t about to leave you two guests down! Besides, there was always a chance he would just show up, so I figured I might as well stick around for a least a little while...”

“So much for that, huh?” Nero said dryly. “When you find him, kick his ass extra hard for me, okay?”

“Roger that kid-”

There was a short, sharp knock at the door. The group looked between themselves nervously as the sound repeated, twice more. Nero stepped away from Kyrie and indicated for her to head further inside. He grabbed his own gun from its holster which was hanging up in the small hallway, and slowly walked over to the front door, with Dante close behind.

“Everyone be quiet!" hissed Dante to the others, as the two adopted positions on either side of the doorway. Checking his grip on his sword, he looked to Nero, who nodded back. Ready. Dante flung the door open. 

A blue-clad figure stood before them - hair swept back, lips set firm, and a gaze of cold steel. A tense moment passed, and then he spoke:

“I…” The man gulped, and then thrust a small dish of some sort towards Nero. “I brought... trifle.”

And Nero smiled.

_The End_

❄


End file.
